3ds Max 8 Essentials / Edition 1

by Autodesk

Overview

Welcome to the Autodesk Media and Entertainment Official Training Courseware for 3ds Max 8 software! Consider this book an all-access pass to the production and training experience of Autodesk developers and training experts. Written for self-paced learning or instructor-led classroom training, the manual will teach you the fundamentals of using 3ds Max 8. The book is organized into sections dedicated to animation, modelling, materials, lighting and rendering. Each section covers basic theory, and then includes exercises for hands-on demonstration of the concept. By the end of the book, you will have mastered the basics and moved onto full-length projects. Flexibility is built in, so that you can complete the tutorials in the way that works best for you. Complete the book and you will be a seasoned 3ds Max pro, ready to work confidently in a production environment.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780240807904
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	12/06/2005
Series:	Autodesk Media and Entertainment Courseware Series
Edition description:	BK&CD-ROM
Pages:	772
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Autodesk's Media and Entertainment division produces award-winning software tools designed for digital media creation, management and delivery across all disciplines: from film and television visual effects, color grading and editing to animation, game development, web/interactive, and design visualization. Autodesk Media and Entertainment is based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Table of Contents

Installation; Introduction to Computer Graphics, 3D Animation, and 3DS Max; User Interface; Working with Files and Objects; Overview Lab; Transforming Objects; Basic Animation Techniques; Creating an Animation and Changing Controller Types; Animation Lab; Shapes; More Objects and Modifiers; Low Poly Modeling; Environment and Low-Poly Creation Lab; Introduction to the Material Editor; Creating Mapped Materials; Materials Lab; Basic Lighting; Basics of Advanced Lighting; Rendering with Advanced Lighting; Cameras and Rendering; Scene Creation Lab; Full Day Lab; Index

Editorial Reviews

"A thorough tome...(it) will take you through the key features of this powerful tool, saving you days of trial and error experimentation." - Imagine magazine

From the Publisher

The Barnes & Noble Review
Autodesk 3ds Max 8 offers immense power to 3D animators in film, video, game development, even product design. Now, 3ds Max 8’s developers have created a comprehensive course that’ll take you from newbie to efficient working professional.

3ds Max 8 Essentials teaches both theory and practice, bringing 3D concepts to life with hands-on labs in every chapter. You needn’t do all 110+ exercises. The book’s modular approach means that once you’ve mastered the interface, you can hop around -- learning what you need, when you need to know it.

If you do want to learn everything, it’s all here: transforms, modifiers, low-poly modeling, shapes, compound objects, animation hierarchies, character animation, materials, maps, cameras, lighting, global illumination, scene rendering/assembly, and more. The book’s a surprisingly easy read, and all the support files you need are on the accompanying CD-ROM. Bill Camarda, from the April 2006 Read Only

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